My great uncle Sergeant Gordon Ross Hudson (NX65306) was in the 2/10 Field Ambulance.

I have many stories passed on in our family but little is known of Uncle Gordon and what definitely happened.

It is recorded that he was bayoneted at Tol Plantation and, although so many years have passed, my heart aches knowing what he and many went through.

I was lucky to recently make a pilgrimage with my family to the Rabaul War Cemetery but still so many questions are unanswered.

Thank you to all that have posted already, a few leads and opportunities to discover more.

Hello, my father-in-law was one of the people who assisted in the identification and burial of Tol massacre victims in late March 1945.

We know he was there and was deeply affected by it. I have tried to do a lot of research and once found his name in an article about Tol Plantation but can’t locate that now.

We even have researched at the AWM in Canberra and turned up very little.

We believe he was in the AAMC as part of the 13 Australian Field Coy RAE. That is what his records show.

If anyone has any information we would be grateful. His name was Corporal Harry Truscott

Stephen Fawcett, I saw your post about your uncle Les Fawcett. Les was in my father’s unit.

My late father was one of a group who, in late 1945, was tasked with cleaning up and burying those who died at Tol Plantation.

I have a photo of the cemetery there after they finished. The remains were probably transferred to an official cemetery later.

I’m sure your relative's remains were treated with reverence and given a proper burial. Nothing would be left in the jungle as the article suggests. Lest we forget.

My uncle, Les Fawcett NX 45605, 2/10 field Ambulance, was a survivor of the Rabaul invasion, escaping on the Laurabada.

After purchasing Gunner David Bloomfield's excellent book, 'Rabaul Diary', in 2001, I was lucky enough to be in contact with him and receive letters, newspaper articles and stories from their ordeal together and apart.

I will treasure them always.

My father Private Rex Livingstone Barrett and his company came across the massacre at Tol Plantation. He never spoke about the war, marched in parades or claimed his medals. He would shout out at night from malaria dreams. Lest we forget.

RIP my mother's dad Private Angus William (Mick) Burnett and his brother Private Edward Burnett who were both killed at Tol Plantation.

To this day their names are not on cenotaphs at Warrnambool, their home town from where they enlisted. Their names hopefully are on the memorial at the place they died.

We have found them on the the war memorial in Canberra.

Lest We Forget. Never forgotten and always loved and remembered by us all now and forever.

Milton, I would be keen to touch base with you. David Bloomfield served my father in laws uncle and mentions him in his book that I have just purchased. Will check back here regularly.

My uncle Clive Francis Duffield VX50046 was a Lance Corporal and he died at Tol. I found out about all this only in 1996. I honestly struggle with this.

When I first found out I wrote to the Japanese embassy and to Canberra, I knew nothing about it . But I would like to find out more.

My grandmother had a stroke when she got the telegram and was put into hospital. She never recovered and died in hospital in 1954 without ever going back home.

She was very angry with my grandfather as he was a market gardener and neither my uncle or my dad had to go to war because he was a produce supplier and needed to work on the farm.

My grandmother wouldn’t sign their papers but my grandfather did and both boys went to war.

I am writing a book for the two survivors of the 2/22nd Battalion still living and those who have sadly passed away.

There are many stories of the Japanese in Rabaul. How do I know if they are factual? Stories differ, perhaps over time, some details are forgotten. It is the 'why' I am interested in.

Why were the 2/22nd left languishing in camp for so long thinking they were heading for Egypt when the plan was to head for the South Pacific? Uniforms worn were meant for desert warfare.

WW1 guns both big and small were wrong guns for the jungle. But that was all they had to fight with and hardly any ammunition.

There is so much more that went wrong. But what is the correct story? I have stories from some who were there but is the truth of what they didn't know I am after. The 'why' of everything.

My father Thomas Webb, NX45161, a medical soldier lost his life on 4 th February, 1942 during the Tol Plantation massacre. I spent a week in Rabaul for ANZAC commemoration ceremonies to remember the massacre 70 years on. This was in 2012. Not many of the men were married so not a lot of children to remember them. I seemed to be the only one. I was very touched by the stories of the children of the civilians who were evacuated to Australia with their mother’s while their fathers remained. When they returned home after the war they had no homes or possessions and still don’t know what happenedto their fathers.

Well said Chris. You have risen well to the occasion.

I shared an Admin house with Ataturk's distant cousin in Lae in 1969.

Who I proposed for and who was accepted for social membership of Lae RSL.

While I agree that the veneration given to the Anzac landing is, at times, overdone, it is not entirely true to say that Kemal Ataturk was the only "bright star" to arise from that appalling conflict.

It is fair comment to assert that many of the commanders of the Anzac force suffered from the same startling lack of intelligence, imagination and insight that was apparently endemic during World War 1.

That said, Gallipoli was the crucible from which at least three very important Australian generals were to emerge, all of them scarred by the experience and determined not to repeat it.

First, and foremost, was General Sir John Monash, undoubtedly one of the outstanding generals of World War 1. Monash deserves much greater recognition than he has received for his major contribution to the eventual allied victory.

The failure to make Monash Australia's first Field Marshal reflects very badly on an Australian government that apparently could not quite get over his Jewish and German ancestry.

Second, the Anzac landing was a formative experience for Field Marshall Sir Thomas Blamey, who commanded the Australian Army during World War 2.

While not an admirable character in many ways, Blamey proved to be an outstanding "political" general and made a very important contribution to the war effort.

Third, was Lieutenant General Sir Leslie Morshead, who master minded the successful defence of Tobruk against the then rampant Afrika Korps, commanded by Field Marshall Erwin Rommel, perhaps Germany's best field commander of World War 2.

Morsehead was a desperately underrated general who probably suffered because he was only a "colonial" officer and hence not fit to be in the first rank of commanders.

Also worthy of note was British Field Marshal Viscount William Slim, who was seriously wounded at Gallipoli and ultimately went on the lead the successful British offensive in Burma, operating under incredibly difficult conditions to defeat a hitherto undefeated Japanese Army.

Slim was a true fighting soldier, deeply concerned about the welfare of his troops, who went on to become a very respected and popular Governor General of Australia.

While inadequate commanders do tend to be in relatively great abundance during the initial stages of both world war 1 and world war 2, they tend to be replaced by the grimly competent fairly rapidly.

So, while I freely acknowledge that Ataturk was far and away the most important military figure to emerge from the lethal cauldron of Anzac, there were others who are worthy of merit as well.

We really need a special day to remember all the fuckwits Paul.

Better start making a list.

National Fuckwit Day?

What we apparently don't remember however Peter, is the fools that allowed these travesties to happen in the first place.

Lest we don't forget those people especially and yet we continue to do so again and again.

And still wondering Keith - it's not a question easily answered.

That line up is quite unique in itself and doesn't bear much relation to newspapers and magazines. PNG Attitude is certainly not the 'Daily Telegraph' nor the 'Melbourne Age' of the blogosphere.

I've quite often read something and then discounted it, especially when I've been compiling the Crocodile anthologies, and then come back to it after it has racked up lots of 'likes'.

The odd sporting piece seems to do well, especially around State of Origin time. Be interesting to see how sex and violence goes. Or maybe a page three pin-up (any volunteers?).

Maybe we should just concede that PNG Attitude, by intent or not, is unique and in a class of its own.

Yes -my father was a volunteer rifle who with others escaped. He managed to get away with one other who I I believe stole a boat from a mission down the south coast of New Britain.

They begged the missionaries to come with them but they believed the Japs would not harm them because of there faith.

He was physically in a very poor state with only a ragged pair of pants to his name. He was sent back to Australia then joined the Australian airforce and went to the Northern Territory working in the bush with a group.

His notes on the escape are held in Camberra and he is mentioned in Ian Townsend's book Line of Fire.

Your report could explain why we found it hard to get information about him from Camberra - my brother was told it was classified information.

He later went back to Rabaul as officer in charge of public works for the rebuild of Rabaul - we lived on Namanula Hill. His name was George Ian MacLennan - mac with an a not Mc as every one tends to do .

My grandparents went to New Guines in the early 1900s and owned Arawa plantation - they also went back to Arawa - we would go to the old homestead that was bombed remains and have picnics - it was in a beautiful spot.

Dear Phil and William,
There is an interesting book entitled What's wrong with Anzac? -The militarisation of Australian history byMarilyn Lake and Henry Reynolds.
It is somewhat controversial and suggests that the Anzac obsession distorts our understanding of the past and replaces historical fact with mythology.They investigate official sponsorship of Anzac through the funding of commemoration and education and expose the ways it has been mobilised as a conservative political force. It also questions whether nations are really made in war and whether the deaths and loss on foreign shores have been justified.
A bayonet is a weapon with a worker at each end.
It is well worth reading.

"Constant public breast beating by governments or individuals may eventually wear thin and ultimately debase the events".

Just like Gallipoli and the Kokoda campaign and the whole circus ANZAC Day has become.